Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain today wrote to DDA Vice Chairman Udai Pratap Singh, seeking a proposal from the authority to develop "greenery" on the either side of the 23-kilometre-long Yamuna river bank.
Hussain said plantation along the river's banks will not only improve Delhi's green cover, but will also help in soil conservation and prevent encroachment.
The Yamuna riverfront falls under the specially- designated as zone 'O', for having special characteristics and ecological significance. The zone 'O' is conceived to set the strategies for rejuvenation of river Yamuna.
According to Hussain, the zone 'O' is nearly 23 kilometres long on each side of the Yamuna and is under the control and supervision of the Delhi Development Authority.
Hussain said in the letter that the DDA has been approached several times to make the sites on the 'O' zone available to the government for carrying out tree plantation.
"I would, therefore, request you to kindly intervene and issue necessary directions to the officers concerned to forward a proposal to this government in the interest of promotion of greenery in Delhi," he told the DDA vice chairman.
He said increasing the green cover in Delhi was essential to effectively tackle the menace of rising air pollution.
Planting trees along the banks would help neutralise the adverse affects of the air pollution and they may also help in preventing soil erosion, Hussain said.
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